Break away to France

Wendy and Barry-the perfect hosts

Barry the chef cooking up a storm 

The Ritz -Bergerac 

Barry Wendy John on Wall by river cafe 

The confluence of two rivers and bridges at right angles 

Village alley where we bought pottery 

The sign of summer 

Abundant and flawless produce from Mr B 

Market at Isseigaac 

View of hillside garden from top tier.  Black and white dot on left if cat curled up asleep 

Chateau Monbizillac

View of Dordogne Valley from Monbizillac 

What is she on about - give her another wine! 

Our five days in France were utterly smashing - especially the 35deg days and swimming in the 28deg pool 3 times a day.  Our friends Wendy and Barry who have built this new  but old French style home just outside of Bergerac are better than perfect hosts and we always say that staying there is like being at the Ritz.  France has its own charm and it was lovely to be back there.  We visited a lovely hilltop garden in a village about an hour east of Bergerac called Lumeuil which was a defence stronghold in the middle ages.  The garden was the remains of a castral village (village built around a castle) build on a rocky spur over looking two gorgeous valleys.  Had lunch at an outdoor cafe on the bank of the confluence of two rivers  (Dordogne and Vezere) with huge bridges at right angles to each other.  The kitchen was across the road which meant the waiter was crossing the road with plates of food and drink etc. - Just imagine OSH!!  We bought a little pottery dish from a local girl who was having an exhibition.  She had some interesting pieces - some were inspired by her looking through a microscope at chromosomes!!.

Visited the medieval village of Issigeac on the Sunday to check out the weekly market.  We were here exactly a year ago and the same man was playing the same saxophone in the same spot.  It was great.  The cook is absolutely transported in French Markets and he loves looking at all the breads (the best in the world) cheeses, meats, fruits and veges, flowers etc not to mention jewellery, hats, clothing and other bric-a-brac.  He could not resist the gorgeous plaits of huge garlic bulbs, but I made sure it went in his suitcase and not mine.  This village also had its annual Bodega.  This is where most of the sports clubs have there annual fund raising evening.  Lots of local brass bands and entertainers come along and wander the village streets playing as loudly as they can - thousands of people mill around and eat and drink the evening away and it just a huge party.

We caught up also with our NZ friend Tiz - Toni Izzard.  She is back in France for a few months  looking after a Chateau situated on the Dorgogne River.  It is owned by a South African woman who is an absentee owner.  That week she had 7 guests from Mauritius staying for 7 nights.  They required fresh sheets and fresh ironed towels every day - and one of the evenings she had to cook an 8 course meal for one of the guests 50th birthday.  However, on the Saturday night the guests were looking after themselves and we picked her up and she joined us at the Bodega after a swim and dinner at Barry and Wendy's.   I temporary return of her sanity I think.

The hot afternoons meant a compulsory snooze after lunch almost daily followed by swimming and refreshments!! (Wine and beer if you havn't already guessed)  I took a sketch pad and pencils and work book and practised some drawing exercises - something I have been wanting to give time to for a while.

Mr B the elderly Frenchman next door always drops excess garden produce in  to Barry and Wendy - We were blown away by the size of the tomatoes but did love eating them.

Visited  Monbizilliac  Chateau on the Monday morning - beautifully located  nearby on a hill top with 360 views of the vast patchwork of grape vines, crops, farms and villages. A small Chateau by french standards, but you could move in there tomorrow and feel right at home.  We came home feeling very relaxed and even managed a sun tan.

Upon our return from France, we had a guest for the week.  A friend of Susies' who is a sculptor and was responsible for creating the two bronze hippos in one of the ponds here.  He was attending classes to learn how to work with a wheel.
Susie spent the weekend at Knightcote so she could meet with decorators, tilers etc as she is looking to do some refurbishments, with a view to renting the property a few times a year.  She was joined by Georgia, and Ned (son and daughter) plus John Marc her ex husband for lunch on  Sunday.  She and 31 other family members are having a week in Spain this week and she offered us her Notting Hill Home for the weekend in return for trimming some hedges.  I am so excited as it is 4 blocks from Portobello Road markets and we can spend all day Saturday having a look around and try for Jersey Boys'  tickets on Saturday evening.  The markets are famous for antiques primarily and that part of the market alone is about half a mile.  There is lots of vintage clothes, shoes and bags, plus new stuff, fruit and vege, and an ecclectic mix of cafes too. - Oh my a girl could go on for ever.!  That will no doubt be the next post.  Hope you are all well -  miss you all and think about you all often - cheers the Cook and the Gardener.